Raahe Museum

Last updated
Raahe Museum
Museum of Raahe.JPG
Raahe Museum
Established1862
Location Raahe, Finland
Coordinates 64°41′15″N024°28′17″E / 64.68750°N 24.47139°E / 64.68750; 24.47139
TypeLocal history and culture
CuratorEija Turunen
Website www.raahenmuseo.fi/raahen_museo

Raahe Museum (or the Museum of Raahe) is the oldest museum of local history and culture in Finland. [1] [2] The museum is located in the town of Raahe, in Oulu province.

Contents

History

The Museum of Raahe was founded in 1862 by Carl Robert Ehrström.

From the beginning of the 20th century, the museum has been located in the old customs house, which was built in 1848 and originally served as a place for hiring seamen during the Age of Sail. The building has been preserved almost in its original condition.

Collections

The collection found in Raahe Museum reflects the history of Raahe as a town of ship builders and seafarers.

The main collection of the museum consists of donations made in the 19th century. These encompass unusual natural items and other objects from foreign countries, including exotic souvenirs brought to Raahe by sailors.

The collection has been expanded to include items of cultural history, with many relating to Raahe's history. Many of these items, such as the miniature sailing boats and paintings thereof, reflect the maritime history of the town.

The collection also includes weapons, coins, textiles and toys from different eras.

Rarities

There are several rarities among the artifacts such as the wooden sculptures which were made for the first church of Raahe in the 17th century. These colourful and unique sculptures were made by a French sculptor, Mikael Balt, who was invited to work in Raahe by the burgomaster, Henrik Corte, in 1655. They date from medieval Catholicism and mostly represent the Baroque style. Balt's sculptures in the Raahe Museum include angels, saints and many other figures and symbols from the Bible.

The Old Gentleman

InterWiki: fi

The most famous treasure of the museum is "The Old Gentleman", the oldest surviving diving suit in the world. It is located in one of the buildings of the Raahe museum, the former crown granary. [3] It was made of calf leather and dates from the 18th century. Its exact origin is unknown but the foot parts suggest a Finnish origin.

The suit, which was used in short underwater work like checking the conditions of the bottom of a ship, was donated to Raahe Museum by Captain Johan Leufstadius (1829–1906), who was a master mariner, merchant and ship owner.

The conservator of Raahe Museum, Jouko Turunen, tailored a perfect copy of the old suit in 1988, suitability called The Young Gentleman. The copy has been successfully tested underwater several times.

Other museums operated by Raahe Museum

The Raahe Museum also operates The Shipowner's Home Interior Museum and The Old Pharmacy Museum, which are both situated in the centre of the town near the Museum of Raahe. Ojala Homestead Museum, Olkijoki Armistice Cottage and Saloinen Museum in the wider Raahe area are also operated by Raahe Museum.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Brahe the Younger</span> Swedish noble (1602–1680)

Count Per Brahe the Younger was a Swedish soldier, statesman, and author. He served as Privy Councillor from 1630, Lord High Steward from 1640, as well as Governor-General of Finland in 1637–1640 and 1648–1654.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariehamn</span> Capital and the largest city of the Åland Islands

Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded by Jomala, the second-largest municipality in Åland in terms of population; to the east, it is bordered by Lemland. Like the rest of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 82% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving suit</span> Garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment

A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply, but in most cases the term applies only to the environmental protective covering worn by the diver. The breathing gas supply is usually referred to separately. There is no generic term for the combination of suit and breathing apparatus alone. It is generally referred to as diving equipment or dive gear along with any other equipment necessary for the dive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kotka</span> City in Kymenlaakso, Finland

Kotka is a town in Finland, located on the southeastern coast of the country at the mouth of the Kymi River. The population of Kotka is approximately 50,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 79,000. It is the 21st most populous municipality in Finland, and the 16th most populous urban area in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raahe</span> Town in North Ostrobothnia, Finland

Raahe is a town in Finland, located on the western coast of the country. Raahe is situated in the North Ostrobothnia region, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Raahe is approximately 24,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 31,000. It is the 43rd most populous municipality in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Museum</span> Local museum in Berkshire, UK

Reading Museum is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area. It is accommodated within Reading Town Hall, and contains galleries describing the history of Reading and its related industries, a gallery of artefacts discovered during the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum, a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, finds relating to Reading Abbey and an art collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Archaeological Museum, Naples</span> Museum in Naples

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples is an important Italian archaeological museum, particularly for ancient Roman remains. Its collection includes works from Greek, Roman and Renaissance times, and especially Roman artifacts from the nearby Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum sites. From 1816 to 1861, it was known as Real Museo Borbonico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Finland</span> Building in Helsinki, Finland

The National Museum of Finland is a museum in Helsinki presenting Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present day, through objects and cultural history. The Finnish National Romantic style building is located at Mannerheimintie 34 in central Helsinki and is a part of the Finnish Heritage Agency, under the Ministry of Culture and Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Estonia</span> Historic Estonia from the mid-8th millennium BC to early 13th century AD

Ancient Estonia refers to a period covering History of Estonia from the middle of the 8th millennium BC until the conquest and subjugation of the local Finnic tribes in the first quarter of the 13th century during the Teutonic and Danish Northern Crusades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolton Art Gallery, Library & Museum</span> Public museum, aquarium and art gallery in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England

Bolton Art Gallery, Library & Museum is a public museum, art gallery, library and aquarium in the town of Bolton, England, owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. The museum, Bolton Museum, is housed within the grade II listed Le Mans Crescent near Bolton Town Hall and shares its main entrance with the library, Bolton Central Library, in a purpose-built civic centre.

The history of rail transport in Finland began on January 31, 1862, with the opening of the railway line between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. By 1900 most of the future main lines had been constructed, including the line to St. Petersburg. By the time of the birth of the new Finnish Republic in 1917 lines connected all major cities, major ports, and reached as far as the Swedish border, and inner Finland as far north as Kontiomäki in Paltamo region, as well as eastwards into Karelia.

The town of Limantepe, sometimes spelled Liman Tepe, located on Turkey's western coast is the site of a prehistoric settlement that includes an ancient port dating from 2500 years located underwater offshore. The area is situated in the urban zone of the coastal town of Urla near İzmir. In pre-classical antiquity and during the Hellenistic and Roman eras, it was a Greek town called Larisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Brahe statue</span>

The Per Brahe statue is a monument of Per Brahe the Younger, the Governor-General of Finland and first chancellor of the Academy of Turku, located in Brahenpuisto in Turku, Finland. It was designed by Walter Runeberg and unveiled in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurpfälzisches Museum</span> Museum in Heidelberg, Germany

The Kurpfälzisches Museum is a museum of art and archaeology in Heidelberg, Germany. It is located in the Palais Morass. It was founded in the late 1870s, when the city of Heidelberg purchased the private collection of the artist and art historian Charles de Graimberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum</span> Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Italy

The Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological Museum is a museum in Palermo, Italy. It possesses one of the richest collections of Punic and Ancient Greek art in Italy, as well as many items related to the history of Sicily. Formerly the property of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, the museum is named after Antonino Salinas, a famous archaeologist and numismatist from Palermo who had served as its director from 1873 until his death in 1914, upon which he left it his major private collection. It is part of the Olivella monumental complex, which includes the Church of Sant'Ignazio all'Olivella and the adjoining Oratory.

The San Fernando Naval Museum is a naval museum located in San Fernando in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain. Although a naval museum was called for as early as 28 September 1792. A museum was established in 1843, but the current museum was inaugurated on 27 March 1992, with the main purpose to promote the history of the presence of the Spanish Armada in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinebrychoff Art Museum</span> Art museum in Helsinki, Finland

The Sinebrychoff Art Museum is an art museum located on Bulevardi in Helsinki, Finland. The museum exhibits the old European art collections of the Finnish National Gallery. In addition, half of the museum acts as a historic house museum, displaying the 19th century estate of the Sinebrychoff family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Cieszyn Silesia</span> Museum in Cieszyn, Poland

The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia in Cieszyn is one of the oldest public museums in Central Europe and the oldest public museum in Poland, set up by father Leopold Jan Szersznik in 1802.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Åland War</span> Baltic Sea theater of the Crimean War

The Åland War was the operations of a Anglo-French naval force against military and civilian facilities on the coast of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1854–1856, during the Crimean War between the Russian Empire and the allied France and Britain. The war is named after the Battle of Bomarsund in Åland. Although the name of the war refers to Åland, skirmishes were also fought in other coastal towns of Finland in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattijoki</span> Former municipality in Oulu Province, Finland

Pattijoki is a settlement and former municipality in Finland. It was a part of the Oulu Province, but now located in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. It was consolidated with the town of Raahe in 2003.

References

  1. "Raahen museum | Drupal". www.raahenmuseo.fi. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  2. Hudson, Kenneth; Nicholls, Ann (1985-06-18). The Directory of Museums & Living Displays. Springer. p. 223. ISBN   978-1-349-07014-5.
  3. "Kruununmakasiinimuseo | Raahen Museo".